Fume-free Oven Cleaner

I posted this photo on facebook the other day and people said they wanted me to explain the "how to" about it.  I cleaned the glass on my oven with just rubbing alcohol and baking soda. Sprinkle the baking soda over the glass. Put the rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and spray it right on the baking soda. I used a sparkle sponge to clean it - so it wouldn't scratch the glass. The greasy build up came right off! Now that was easy!

A Review Of My Book By The Healthful Truth

Here is a review of my book by the Healthful Truth. Thanks Lily!

The Joy of Green Cleaning

Posted on December 2, 2012

I have a dream…that one day my home will be completely free of harsh chemicals! I was raised to use these toxic chemicals. My mother says “If you’re not using Clorox, it’s not clean!”. My mother even uses it in her dish water especially when someone gets sick in the home. I thought this was how it was done! (Sorry Mom!) Now I cringe when I smell bleach. Lysol All Purpose Cleaner gives me a raging headache.

What is my “why” when it comes to green cleaning? I didn’t actually start to make green, non-toxic changes until I became pregnant and started thinking about my daughter’s health. I thought about how she would be crawling on the floors absorbing toxic chemicals through her skin and mouth. They would be present on her clothes and inhaling these chemicals that kill brain cells, cause cancer, and irritate your skin. If you have kids you know that their skin is very sensitive and their guts are very permeable and these chemicals would quickly get in to her blood stream and wreck havoc. Not only did I think about the cleaners but also the baby products like shampoos and lotions. Another reason

why, is that we over do it when it comes to anti-bacterial products. We have been raised to think that killing all bacteria is good for us…WRONG. Most people don’t realize that there are good bacteria and bad bacteria. Antibacterial cleaners kill everything leaving the strongest bacterias to survive and get stronger. This results in the creation of super bacteria that become resistant to the antibacterial agents you use to kill them. You may actually be doing more harm to yourself by using these harsh chemicals to kill them then what the bad bacteria you are trying to kill may do to you.

So all this non-toxic talk brings me to my latest blog post which is really a book review of The Joy of Green Cleaning.  I absolutely love this recipe book! It’s a great handy resource book for green cleaning.  It was written by Leslie Reichert aka Green Cleaning Coach whose mission is to teach and encourage others in the art of home-keeping and green cleaning. In her book, Leslie explains what is the big deal about greening your cleaning. She says that most regular cleaning can be done without any toxic chemicals. It is true that you can clean with non-toxic items already in your pantry such as baking soda, vinegar, sea salt, lemon juice, and hydrogen peroxide.

Read more here...

Julia Child - Cleaning Up In The Kitchen

Everyone is writing, cooking and eating to honor the 100 birthday of the wonderful Julia Child. I have been a fan of hers from the very start of her TV career. I remember watching her TV show when they were being aired for the first time. Yes, that would be the early 1960’s and even as a  5 year old child, I loved her. I also remember what the Washington Post wrote about her style. “It wasn’t that she could do no wrong – it was that she made doing wrong so right!”  I love her!

So in honor of Julia’s 100^th birthday, I pulled out my copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and started to see if there was SOMETHING I could make so I could be a part of the celebration. It’s been three years since my husband bought me her book, hoping that someday I would get motivated and make something French for dinner. To date that hasn’t happened. I opened the book to the introduction and read her outlook on life. I especially liked the part about -  “have a good time!”  

I then started browsing through the forward and found her advice on cleaning:
“Use all the pans, bowls and equipment you need, but soak them in water as soon as you are through with them. Clean up after yourself frequently to avoid confusion.”  And again “have a good time!”

Who knew that Julia not only was an expert at cooking but also had great tips for cleaning. (Although if you watch her show she usually threw things right on the floor!) Really, every good cook has to clean up their own mess, unless of course you’re a celebrity chef and have a staff to do that.  Sometimes I think that cleaning up is the real reason I don’t like cooking!

As I continued into the pages of her book I found a “recipe” on page four under A Note on Copper Pans. Julia writes: … there is the cleaning problem, as copper tarnishes quikly. Ther are fast modern copper cleaners available. A good homemade mixture is half a cup of white vinegar and ¼ cup each of table salt and scouring powder. Rub the mixture over the copper, using steel wool if the pot is badly tarnished, then rinse in hot water.  Alias, the woman we celebrate for her cooking skills also knew how to clean and realized its importance.

So in honor of Julia’s 100 birthday, I suggest you mix up this copper scrub, find a pot that needs attention and get to cleaning! While you’re cleaning that pot, sing happy birthday to Julia! It will be a great way to avoid confusion and to have a good time!

Happy Cleaning, Julia! 

Goodbye to Grease How To Video

On your quest to achieve that lovely spring clean you are at some point going to have to enter the kitchen. There are just so many places that food buildup hides here, and your stove is no exception. If you have trouble getting rid of that troublesome grease in your grease plates, the video below will make your job a lot easier. It's springtime, and the last thing you want is the grease leftover from the Thanksgiving turkey hanging out in your kitchen. With the few tips I give in this video, you can quickly move on from the stove with enough time to tackle the larger tasks of Spring Cleaning.

How to Clean a Pot With Caked-On Crud!

It's an all too frequent event when a simple distraction leads you to leave something on the stove for just a few minutes overtime, and nothing looks more daunting in your pile of dishes than that crusty caked mess on the bottom of your favorite pot. However, with these few simple tips, you won't have to leave it soaking for hours. You can remove that grime easily and quickly with some basic products that you have lying around the house. With the techniques I've included in this video, nothing will stop you from keeping your pots spotless.

HOW-TO Video on removing stains from cups and mugs

Coffee stains have a tendency to build up on the inside of mugs after prolonged use. Clean coffee stains from mugs in this free video clip. If you are having trouble seeing this video you can also go to this link: http://www.ehow.com/video_12212281_clean-coffee-stains-mugs.html

How to Clean Coffee Stains From Mugs -- powered by ehow

The NEW Bon Ami Products!

Bon Ami or when translated from the French, “good friend”, is exactly what Bon Ami is – a good old friend. A simple cleaner that has been manufactured for over 120 years, Bon Ami powdered cleaner was “green before it was a product category”. Bon Ami was developed as a true act of recycling. In New England during the 1880's, mines were bringing up quartz to be ground and used in the new commercial cleansers. Feldspar was separated from the quartz and discarded. TJ Robertson found that the softer feldspar was gentler than quartz so he ground it up, added soap and created the first bar of Bon Ami soap. Since then, Bon Ami has been a favorite “old fashioned” cleaner that can be used for gentle scouring without allergic reactions or sensitivities.

Bon Ami has now developed a full line of cleaners for your home. After testing these products I have found the dish soap to be my favorite. It cuts through grease and grime on the dishes and left my hands feeling soft and clean. I especially loved the citrus scent.

I also tried the new Bon Ami liquid cleanser. I probably didn’t use it correctly. I used it as a “soft scrub” type of cleaner, but after reading the instructions, I should have used it in my shower. I’m going to try it there as I wasn’t that impressed with it on my counters.

I’ve always been a fan of the 1886 powdered cleanser made by Bon Ami. This is their original formula and really only has two ingredients. It is so gentle you can use it to clean acid rain off glass windows. It leaves behind a slight invisible film that protects the glass from salt spray, which makes it a favorite for boat owners and vacation homes. I was excited to try the 5 ingredient formula and used it on my glass topped stove with a gentle sponge. By working in a circle it removed most of the burnt on crud that was stuck to my stove top. It did take a little elbow grease and some patience but the powdered cleansser got it off.

The Bon Ami All-purpose cleaner worked great on tile. I used it to clean tile floors and it left them clean and streak free. It wasn’t as good on stainless steel or black fronted appliances. It removed the grease and dirt but left some streaks and smears. It had a nice citrus scent and was easy to use. I’d recommend using it with a larger looped microfiber cloth to get the best performance.

The best way to realize how committed Bon Ami is to being green is to read about their environmental stewardship. One example is in their development of their new line of products. They decided to not add synthetic fragrances and instead ask their customers to shake the products so that the essential oils are mixed into the cleaner. This example shows how committed they are to keeping their products simple and green. With this kind of commitment Bon Ami will continue to be "a good old friend"!

Mopping Up With Martha Stewart Living Radio

Today I had a great time talking with Martha Stewart Living Radio about the right way to mop your floors. Here are some tips we talked about:

• Prior to mopping vacuum your floors and get up all the big dirt and hair. I prefer a canister vacuum to do this job. Make sure you have a nice floor brush as well.
• Use a technique I call "bucketless mopping". You replace the bucket with a spray bottle of your favorite cleaner diluted as if it were in your bucket. We've all been taught to use a bucket but this will make mopping quick and easy.
• Instead of a sponge mop that holds the dirt, use a microfiber mop with different covers for different jobs, These are the same type of mops hospitals are using to prevent cross contamination.

 How to use a microfiber mop correctly:

• Wet the clean cover in the sink and wring it out really well.
• Place it back on the mop.
• Spray your diluted cleaner directly on the floor.
• Wipe the wet mop head over the entire floor.
• If you like you can use a second wet mop head to rinse it. If we were in Germany - we would go over it a third time to dry it!
• Place the dirty mop covers in the washer so they will be nice and clean for the next time.

You can use the same system for cleaning your hardwood floors only don't wet the mop head - use it dry and lightly spray the cleaner so that it will leave the floors sparkling clean.

Here is a homemade recipe for a hardwood floor cleaner from The Joy of Green Cleaning:

• 1 teaspoon dish soap
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 16 ounce hot water
• Place these ingredients in a spray bottle and lightly spray the floors. Wipe with a dry microfiber mop. This mixture will leave the floor clean without a waxy build-up.

Grab Green Dish Detergent Is A Hit With The Cooking Club!

Our eco-friendly Grab Green Automatic Dishwashing Detergent stood up to rigorous tests and now stands out among giants in the industry. The Cooking Club tested a wide range of detergents from major brands over the past three months and was thoroughly impressed. Even though almost all were comparing GrabGreen’s Automatic Dishwashing Detergent to large, non-eco-friendly brands like Cascade and Finish. Less than .5% of the testers were of the eco-friendly persuasion, and they still chose to give GrabGreen Automatic Dishwashing Detergent the highest rating possible. Not only were the testers highly impressed with the cleaning power, they were pleasantly surprised that the dishes came out spotless, even the glassware. Also contributing to the high rating was the convenience of the pre-measured pods and lusciously light fragrances. You have GOT to try this new dishwashing detergent soon. You are going to love it!

Green Cleaning Your Grill For The Fourth!

Summer is in full swing which means we have moved most of our cooking to our outdoor kitchens and grills. Dinners become more relaxing and very casual. But you don’t want to be casual about keeping your grill area clean. Even though we are outside we still need to keep the cooking area free from both bacteria and toxins. Here are a few “green cleaning” recipes for you to use.


Grill Cleaner
After cooking on your grill you want to burn off as much of the excess grease that you can. Turn off the heat and let the grill cool down. Sprinkle the grill area with a light coating of baking soda. Fill a spray bottle full of white distilled vinegar and spray the entire cooking area. The baking soda will bubble which will help remove any built up grease. Continue to spray the grill and keep the baking soda moist. Wipe with a wet rag or wash in the sink.

Antibacterial Spray
Keep the areas around the grill free from bacteria by using this spray on any of the surfaces.

½ cup white distilled vinegar
½ cup club soda
½ cup hydrogen peroxide
8 drops Tea Tree oil

Mix the Tea Tree oil with the white vinegar. This will cancel out the vinegar smell. Then add the other two ingredients and place in a dark plastic spray bottle to keep in our outside kitchen.

Stainless Steel Polish

This mixture removes build up grease from stainless steel grills.
1 cup baking soda
½ cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons borax
Club soda to make into a paste

Mix baking soda, borax and lemon juice together. Add enough club soda to make into a paste. Apply the paste to the metal with a soft cloth. Rinse with plain club soda. Finish by polishing with a clean cloth.

For a free recipe from the book The Joy of Green Cleaning go to www.thejoyofgreencleaning.com You will also get a free video on how to use it!

Just A Thought

Why is it -  when a cleaning product says on the side of the box - keep away from children and pets - we don't have any problem putting that same product on our floors where are kids and pets are crawling and walking? I had this conversation with an old friend yesterday. He was telling me how he loved his floor cleaner. It worked so well and all he had to do was wipe the floor and throw out the cloth. I showed him on the side of the box the warning about keeping the product away from kids and pets. He had an aha moment and wanted to know what he could use instead. I recommended a microfiber mop with washable covers and just water. Nothing in that water will hurt kids or pets!

Staph Germs and Cross Contamination

Staph germs are in the news. Last night and today the news channels have been blasting us with the information that there are Staph germs in our meats.  They aren't even sure  if cooking the meats are killing Staph! Everyone running for the disinfectant. But before you start spraying make sure you use some good old soap and hot water to get the Staph germs off your counters and your hands. Yes that's right - soap and water. And be very careful of cross contamination. Here are a few tips after working with raw meat:

• Use your elbows to turn on the water faucet. If you have Staph germs on your hands you will contaminate the faucet when you turn the water on to wash them.
• Get a touchless soap dispenser to get soap onto your hands. Soap and water will remove the Staph germs from your hands, but you can't touch the soap dispenser until your hands are clean.
• Put any cleaning cloths you use on your counters directly into the washing machine.
• Don't use sponges to wipe off the counters. If you are one of those people that has to use a sponge, you can disinfect them by placing them in the microwave - wet- for 3 minutes. 
• Keep a nail brush under you counter and use it to clean your hands after touching raw meat. Scrub your hands and nails with soap and hot water. Then put the brush in the dishwasher to clean it.
• Make sure you wash your hands for an "alphabet". Just like we learned in preschool, sing the alphabet song so you make sure you wash all the germs off your hands.

Keeping It Clean (inside the dishwasher)

I have a personal relationship with my dishwasher. I saved up all my coffee money for a year (shows you how much coffee I drink) and bought a Miele dishwasher. Ohhhhh am I ever glad I did.  The best thing about it is the stainless steel insides! It never looks dark and dirty in there. If you not lucky enough to have a stainless steel dishwasher - start saving - and in the meantime try these tricks to keep yours looking sparkling clean.

Look for a jar of Tang at the grocery store. Yes, they still sell it and it does a wonderful job of cleaning off mineral deposits on the walls of your dishwasher. (wonder what it does to your stomach) Just put a few tablespoons in the soap dispenser of your washer and run it empty.
Can't find Tang? The next best thing is Kool-aide non-sweetened lemonade. Put the packet in the dish soap dispenser and run with or without your dishes. If your glasses are getting cloudy then definitely run them with the Kool-aide.

Try using a product called Lemi-shine. This is dehydrated lemon juice and it works great for removing the mineral deposits on the inside of your dishwasher. Marilyn, an associate at my store, used this on her dishwasher - with her white dishes inside - and swears she got a new-looking set of dishes!

If you are enjoying this tips, I'd love it if you'd choose to follow my blog. You can also find more daily tips on www.facebook.com/shopgreencleaning

Quite the mess- easy clean up!

Ouch!

A glass jar of spagetti sauce on a tile floor. Not what you or I wanted to be dealing with at the end of a long day. After I got through with a few XXXXXXX, I went to grab the paper towels. Yes, shame on me, but I just couldn't figure out what would sop up all that sauce without making a bigger mess- AAhhaaa! Check out what worked better!

This was the mess after I picked up the glass.

The microfiber cloth was picking up everything as it went. This was only the first pass.

There, all clean. Do you know how many paper towels that would have taken? And the cost of the entire roll (of which I would have used most if not all of) would have been $3-$4 dollars. My microfiber cloth will be good for another 299 washings. Not bad for only $7.95

Question of the Day! When to get rid of kitchen "cloths"

In these economically tough times, being frugal is in. So I recommend using a system that lets you move your cleaning items "down" to dirtier jobs. Anything being used near food in the kitchen should look "new". Sponges and dish cloths can be disinfected in the microwave by wetting them and microwaving for 3-5 minutes. This keeps them sanitized. When they start to look gray or worn in any way - they should be "moved down" to cleaning counters. This can be done by cutting off one corner. Then everyone knows that this item should not be used near food or dishes. You can keep cutting off corners and the items get "demoted" to dirtier jobs. This system is used on boats to stop cross contamination. If it works with a crew on a sail boat, it can surely work for your kitchen crew!

Guest Post-Chelsie Hill from Declutter Your Life dot org

"Many of us love to recycle, but it’s so hard to separate things without creating a big mess under our kitchen sinks!"

Contain It! I like to use bathroom size garbage cans for my recycling items. I keep a couple under my kitchen sink and label them so everyone knows which one is used for what. The smaller ones work easier because you can fit more under there than the larger ones. I have found that grocery sacks just don’t look neat, and it’s easier for items to fall out.

Dump It! In addition to bathroom size garbage cans under my sink, I have regular garbage cans in my garage with the same labels as the smaller size cans. Since the little cans don’t hold very much stuff, every day when I dump my trash cans I also dump what is in my recycled garbage cans into their larger garbage cans in the garage. When I’m going to do my recycling, I just put the larger cans in my back seat. Works for me!

_____________________________________________

Write It down- Thanks Chelsie for these great tips. I also like the journal for other great green organizing and cleaning ideas. You can see more at declutteryourlife.org.

Happy Earth Day 2009

Happy Earth Day!! And what a wonderful day it is!

In honor of the great day, why don't you try mixing up your own green cleaner.

Here is the recipe for a great green scrub. And it's made from natural items from the Earth.

Happy Earth Day and Happy Green Cleaning! They do go hand in hand.

The Cleaning Coach's Green Scrub

Use in place of any of your regular scrub cleaners

The one like S*** S*** or the other that begins with C****

This is great to mix with a small amount of water and scrub out the sink, the shower or even the toilet!!

Add your choice of essential oil and think of it as aromatherapy. You may actually like cleaning today!

1/2 cup baking soda

1/2 cup salt (use sea salt for more power)

1/2 cup borax

6-8 drops essential oil (my favorite is lemon grass)

Mix up and put into a shaker container. Use on your counters, in your sink and try a little in the toilet. It's safe and it really works!

Who needs Teflon anyway?

A green solution to the Teflon issue!
One of my favorite pans had a coating of Teflon on it. I never really thought much about it, and I even heard the comments and discussions about it being dangerous. I just thought it was just another "problem" we were too concerned about. But then the coating started to crack and now it's peeling. Maybe this isn't just another false alarm. So I threw away my favorite pan and went to stainless steel. But I definitely don't want to spend my time scrubbing these new pots. I just want to wash and go. So I worked on a "green" solution.

Here is my green alternative to Teflon:
To remove stuck-on food from pots and pans, just put a few teaspoons of baking soda and some warm water in the pot. Place it on a warm burner and leave for 30 minutes. The grime will come right off! I did this today with burnt egg on my stainless steel pot. Without any effort, the pot is sparkling clean! This also works great for crock pots that have that "burn" line from a day of cooking. You can add a little white vinegar if things are really bad. Who needs Teflon anyway!

Clean up that frig!

There's only days to Thanksgiving! Take 15 minutes and clean out your frig. Especially if you are having company. Your helpful friends will definitely be in there for something. And you need to make room for those leftovers.

Take out and empty the "stale" containers and put them in the dishwasher. Then get some super hot water and a microfiber cloth and wipe down the shelves. Microfiber will get it nice and clean without using chemicals near your food. Make sure to wipe down the outside too. Now your refrigerator is ready for company.